Aircraft Flight Management Cost Mapping for Dynamic Altitude Decisions

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Solution Overview

Problem

Current flight management systems lack the ability to dynamically adjust flight altitudes in response to changing meteorological conditions, leading to potential fuel overconsumption and suboptimal cost management during flights.

Innovation Solution

A method and system that calculate a local cost function along a planned vertical reference trajectory, using a two-dimensional grid to display colored neighborhoods representing operating costs, allowing for real-time adjustments based on predicted environmental data and aircraft performance, enabling the crew to make informed decisions about optimal flight paths.

Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles

VSEngineering Contradiction Analysis

1Use of energy by moving object

If the flight management system provides local optimization functions for altitude and speed, then the immediate fuel efficiency is improved, but the system cannot account for changing meteorological conditions over time, leading to potential fuel overconsumption

Engineering Contradiction:

Improvefuel efficiencyVSAvoidadaptability to changing meteorological conditions

Core Design Contradiction:

Use of energy by moving objectVSAdaptability or versatility

Solution Approach 1:

The system dynamically updates the vertical reference trajectory and cost function calculations based on real-time meteorological forecasts and actual aircraft state, transforming the static local optimization into a dynamic adaptive process that responds to changing conditions throughout the flight

Inventive Principle:

Principle #15Dynamics

Solution Approach 2:

The system performs preliminary calculations of the vertical reference trajectory and cost function based on forecasted meteorological conditions before the flight occurs, allowing the crew to plan optimal altitude changes in advance while accounting for predicted weather variations

Inventive Principle:

Principle #10Preliminary action

2Productivity

If the crew follows the indicated optimal altitude without knowing its validity duration, then they may achieve cost optimization, but they risk encountering adverse conditions that make the climb disadvantageous

Engineering Contradiction:

Improvecost optimizationVSAvoidreliability of cost optimization decision

Core Design Contradiction:

ProductivityVSReliability

Solution Approach 1:

The system continuously updates the vertical reference trajectory and cost function based on actual meteorological conditions and aircraft state, providing feedback to the crew about the current optimality of the recommended altitude and allowing them to adjust their decisions based on updated information

Inventive Principle:

Principle #23Feedback

Solution Approach 2:

The system calculates the vertical reference trajectory considering not just the immediate optimal point but also the temporal evolution of meteorological conditions, providing a more robust recommendation that accounts for future conditions rather than just current conditions

Inventive Principle:

Principle #16Partial or excessive action

3Loss of energy

If the flight management system uses forecasted meteorological conditions for trajectory optimization, then the potential fuel savings increase, but the system complexity increases due to the need for continuous updates and recalculations

Engineering Contradiction:

Improvefuel consumptionVSAvoidsystem complexity

Core Design Contradiction:

Loss of energyVSDevice complexity

Solution Approach 1:

The system segments the flight trajectory into discrete points along the lateral flight path and calculates the vertical reference trajectory at each segment, allowing for localized optimization without requiring complete recalculation of the entire flight plan when conditions change

Inventive Principle:

Principle #1Segmentation

Solution Approach 2:

The system applies local optimization by calculating the vertical reference trajectory and cost function at specific points along the flight path based on local meteorological conditions, rather than applying a uniform approach throughout the entire flight, enabling targeted fuel savings where conditions are most favorable

Inventive Principle:

Principle #3Local quality

Data Source

PatentUS11195420B2Method and system for assisting in the flight management of an aircraft in terms of optimizing the operating costs of said aircraft

Publication Date: 2021.12.07 THALES SA

AI summary

A method for assisting in a flight management of an aircraft calculates a local cost function CF(xi, hj) at various altitudes hj along a planned vertical reference flight trajectory over a discrete set of points P(xi, hj) which forms a two-dimensional grid in which the planned vertical reference flight trajectory varies, the local cost function CF(xi, hj) being calculated locally at each point P(xi, hj) according to aircraft data and environmental data predicted at said local point P(xi, hj). Then, for each point P(xi, hj) of the grid, the method determines a neighbourhood including the point P(xi, hj), and associates a colour K(xi, hj) therewith that is dependent on the value of the local cost function CF(xi, hj) using a predetermined bijective lookup transformation. Next, the method displays the coloured grid formed by the coloured neighbourhoods.